Nebrask@ Online

"I really would rather not have it in the 2010-11 fiscal year," said Dennis Pool, Omaha Public Schools' assistant superintendent for general administration.

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It appears the new federal money in the bill approved Tuesday must be spent during the current school year, but Pool said he hopes to find a way to roll the money over a year while still complying with the law.
Perhaps the district could start paying teacher salaries from the new funding, freeing up money elsewhere that could be rolled over, he said.

"Let's look how we can craft a spending plan into our current budget and allow us to carry this money forward to soften what might be a great potential blow to us in another year," he said.

Officials with Omaha Public Schools, a leading supporter of the common-levy system, had not decided whether to follow other districts in adopting an alternative tax request, according to Dennis Pool, OPS fiscal administrator.

He said administrators and OPS legal counsel will brief the school board Monday on its options.

"We are unsure whether we have any legal authority to do this," he said.

Because state aid distribution for next year is already set, and linked to the common general fund levy, reverting to the old system of each district levying its own property tax and keeping the money would create problems, Pool said.
The distribution of state aid, meant to equalize resources for districts, would not account for the return to the former way of levying school district property taxes, he said.

Some districts, Pool said, would likely see a financial windfall, "and there will be other districts, if in fact the 95-cent levy is not levied, who will face significant shortfall, Omaha Public Schools being one of those."